Lil Wayne’s I Am Not A Human Being II Album: Critics Reviews

There’s no doubt that Lil Wayne has been through a lot over the past year, and especially the past few weeks. After taking a break from rapping last summer to focus on skateboarding, Weezy approached 2013 with the goal of releasing a follow up to his 2010 platinum album I Am Not A Human Being and that goal was not met without a few obstacles along the way. After a brief hospital stay and wild rumors about Weezy being on his death bed fans finally got a taste of Wayne’s I Am Not A Human Being II, (albeit earlier than he planned). Despite all the rumors and the album leak, Weezy was in good spirits in a video he released to the public assuring fans that he was “more than good.” But, do the critics think his album was more than good? Check out the reviews after the jump.

Weezy’s World Is Like No Other
“Life’s grand for Weezy, as he tells us repeatedly that he’s rich enough to make his own rules, and if you don’t like it, take a hike. Sex, drugs, sex, guns and sex are the overarching themes, and he rattles off a steady stream of clever punch lines. He has a particular fascination with oral sex, which he addresses with an endless variety of colorful descriptions. Haters are warned that they’d best keep their trash talk to themselves. Wayne’s producers — including Cool & Dre, Detail, Juicy J, Crazy Mike and T-Minus — create a rangy sonic backdrop with everything from soul samples to sparse instrumentals to heavy metal for his musings. Guests 2 Chainz, Juicy J, Drake, Future and Big Sean have memorable moments, though the same can’t be said for Soulja Boy or Nicki Minaj. In any case, Weezy’s world is still like no other.”- Steve Jones, USA Today.

Less-Manic Version Of Wayne
“The rest is unprintable — on his new album, I Am Not a Human Being II. Art isn’t proof of sobriety, or of anything really, but this album is consistent with the rest of the music from Lil Wayne’s sober period: literal, conventional, spotty. He may or may not be struggling with drugs, but his music sounds almost nothing like drug-era Lil Wayne. It’s less manic, less experimental, less unpredictable and, oddly, less consistent. “I Am Not a Human Being II” is slapdash, a mix of blustering boasts, spiteful sex, warm sex, inside jokes, puerile snickering and flashes of self-realization. At times he is rapping with ferocity; at others, with swing; at others, with just the barest of attention. He still radiates exuberance and ecstasy and rebelliousness, the hallmarks of his rise to hip-hop’s creative and commercial peaks. But the words he puts together don’t shock the way they once did.” – Jon Caramanica, NY Times.

Abrasive But Oddly BrightI Am Not a Human Being II was geared to be Wayne’s moment of clarity. He was off that lean (though that’s up for debate after recently suffering seizures) and carefully crafting this two-year opus. While the original was slapped together before serving a prison bid, part II was supposed to be finely tuned. There are stellar moments to the work though, buried deep within the lewdness that riddles the greater whole. It’s perverse, it’s bipolar, it’s abrasive, and it’s dark, yet it’s oddly bright. Hell, it’s Lil Wayne.”- Kathy Iandoli, Billboard.

Maybe He Is Human After All
“Though it was recorded well before his health scare, “I Am Not a Human Being II,” in stores Tuesday, feels like an effort to restore some invincibility to Lil Wayne, whose last studio record, “Tha Carter IV,” was the bestselling rap album of 2011. But mostly, “I Am Not a Human Being II” shows us Lil Wayne responding weakly to the unsettling prospect of weakness. Beneath the bluster, he might know it too. After assuring his fans that he’s fine in his recent video statement, Lil Wayne reminds them that the album is available “if you want,” he says. Then he adds, with a shrug, ‘If not, whatever.’”- Mikael Wood, LA Times.

Raunchy, Not Surprising
“This is exactly the record you’d expect to hear from Weezy in 2013: a solid album by a brilliant MC who’s half-interested. He raps almost exclusively about sex, especially oral sex; there may be more cunnilingus metaphors in these 15 songs than in all previous pop music combined. He can still reel off dazzling rhymes; songs like the spookily minimalist 2 Chainz collab “Rich As Fuck” are worth it just for the nimble musicality of his vocal tone and flow. The woozy “Romance” is a genuinely kinky sex song: “Give me coochie at my momma’s crib/On Thanksgiving/ Everybody listening.” But there’s none of the exhilarating surprise – lyrically or conceptually – of his peak years. (The drug song “Trippy” is a pale rehash of “I Feel Like Dying.”) And some tracks are just dispiritingly lame. “My tongue is a Uzi/My dick is a AK,” he raps in the clattering Soulja Boy-produced “Wowzers.” E.T. phones it in.” – Jody Ross, Rolling Stone.